


Dress to Impress

by MelodyoftheVoid



Series: Fading Reflections [2]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Boys in Skirts, Dresses, Family Fluff, Kinda, M/M, Professor Membrane Tries to Be a Better Parent, She has the braincell, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, almost gets there, do not piss off Gaz, do not test her, fails
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26516053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodyoftheVoid/pseuds/MelodyoftheVoid
Summary: Dib needs to learn to stop while he's ahead. Zib too.
Relationships: Dib & Gaz (Invader Zim), Dib & Professor Membrane, Dib & Zib | Zim Number 1, Dib/Zim (Invader Zim), Gaz & Professor Membrane, It's implied, Kinda - Relationship
Series: Fading Reflections [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817320
Comments: 28
Kudos: 118





	Dress to Impress

**Author's Note:**

> Note, Gaz is 14, and the bois are 16 here. Still wee babies. Dib has not quite gotten around to acknowledging his feelings, and Zib is just starting to figure out how magic works at all.

Dib really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut. For that matter, Zib did too. But the both of them had invoked Gaz’s wrath and with their pride on the line, they sifted through the piles of dresses that it abandoned in her closet. 

It started innocently enough. With Gaz turning 14, it was time for yet another of King Membrane’s extravagant celebrations. And, as Gaz was wont to do, she adamantly refused to wear one of the many gowns that she reluctantly owned (turning down a gift was in poor taste after all), Dib questioned her abject hatred of dresses, leading to an escalation that ended in: “They can’t be that bad can they?”. Zib, happening to pass by, made the fatal mistake of agreeing with Dib. 

And thus, she challenged them to wear one of the garments, knowing full well both of her brothers were too prideful to turn down the challenge. She at least did them the courtesy of allowing them to choose their own punishments. If she was feeling particularly cruel, she could’ve made them wear one of the formal gowns, the ones that required assistance from at least 4 maids to put on. 

But that was an ordeal when you had experience with it, and she wanted to make a point, not end up with at least one brother dead due to strangulation. 

And so, she sat on her bed, sharpening her blade and waiting for one of the two to finally crack and ask for assistance. They’d both walked into the walk in closet with the confidence of princes.

It was only a matter of time now given the angry muttering.

“Gaz,” a sheepish Dib called from the other side of the door, “could you uh… help me?”

“Is it the laces?”

Silence followed. Gaz felt a smile tug at her mouth.

“...yes.”

“I told you it’s at least a two person job, you moron. Why can’t Zib help?”

Muffled shouting came from her other sibling, followed by a crash and a few more smothered curses.

“He’s a bit occupied at the moment.” 

With a sigh, Gaz opened up the door, stopping dead in her tracks at the sight of Zib on the ground in a heap of black and purple fabric, his hair spikes the only indicator of where his head lay in the indistinct pile. She couldn’t help the laugh that came out, her stomach aching as she doubled over in a fit. 

“H-how? How did y-you manage that? You didn’t even manage to find the head hole! Gods above-” 

Gaz could only wheeze out the last sentence, tears streaming down her face.

“Yes, yes, it’s very funny,” Zib grumbled, “And I’m fairly certain you’ve never had to put this monstrosity on. How many fucking layers can one garment have?”

WIth a yank, Gaz pulled down the fabric, freeing the younger twin from his fashionable prison, the layers settling into place. He took her arm and got back on his feet, face flush with embarrassment. 

“It’s really not that complicated you dork.”

“Gee thanks,” Zib bit out, “I just thought this dress would be easier to get into. It looked rather nice hung up but...”

Looking up and down at the dress, it took her a bit aback that this was the one he went with, yet somehow it felt right.

“Didn’t have you pegged for the dark colors, it’s a good look on you.”

“For sure!” Off in the corner, Dib craned his neck to try and see the threads in the mirror, “It really suits you.”

Zib let out a chuckle, fixing his glasses back into place, “I’ve wanted to wear colors like this for a while but…”

“The family unity is more important,” all three imitated their father’s intonation. 

“Ah well, one can dream. Maybe he’ll let me wear differently patterned clothing at least.”

“One can hope,” Gaz decided to finally take pity on Dib, spinning him around to lace the coset, “he lets me wear pants. That’s certainly an improvement.”

Dib wheezed as she pulled the garment a bit too tight, “That’s only because he knows he can’t win with you.”

“A fair point, but I hate having all these useless things around. This is the first time I’ve actually seen these.”

“Shocking,” Zib muttered.

With a final tie, Gaz took a step back and nodded, “That should do it. Now do you see why I hate these?”

“Eh, kind of,” Dib turned and admired the dress, “it’s definitely not great for sword fighting or running, but it does look nice.”

The sky blue fabric matched Dib’s usual color scheme, with gold lace lining elaborate patterns around the bodice. Light layers cascading down as the pink tourmalines along the hem caught the light. 

“I have to agree there,” Zib stood beside Dib, turning and admiring the ivy patterns snaking across the purple velvet, “but uh… How do you take these off?”

“Off? Did you think I was going to let you just go through putting them on?”

Dib flushed bright crimson, turning as if to search for an invisible enemy.

“GAZ, ZIM IS HERE!”

“Brother, you know for a fact that this would not be the most embarrassing thing Zim has seen you do.”

“Zib, don’t help her.”

“Come on, remember the time with the well? Or when you got tangled up in the rigging of your boat when you tried to show off your ‘superior boating skills’?”

“Shut uppppp”

“Now,” Gaz whined, imitating her short tenured tutor, “that’s no way for someone dressed like that to talk.”

Zib scoffed, “Come on, there’s no way Mr. Elliot talked like that. He was annoying but he wasn’t that bad.”

“Did you have to deal with him or did I? Now come on, I want to see you try and apply some of the “lessons” that idiot tried to teach me before I ran him out of the castle. Starting with your demeanor in court. A,” Gaz pitched her voice up again, “proper lady should always stay aloof and never speak her mind. Suitors won’t like a woman with opinions.”

“Oh gods, he did not,” Dib looked absolutely baffled, “He said that to you? Knowing who you are?”

Zib chortled, flushing as a snort left him.

“How is that man still alive?”

Gaz shrugged.

“Murder is unbecoming of a lady.”

“Father had to talk you out of it didn’t he? I know for certain you had a plan to quietly get rid of him.”

“I mean…”

“Dib, where did you run off to? It’s time for lunch oh-”

The siblings froze as King Membrane stepped into Gaz’s room, as if summoned by the mention of his name, the four staring at one another for what felt like an eternity. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the twins start to slink back into the closet. 

“Father. We were just about to come down. I just needed to make a point to these two.”

“Say no more daughter, tell me, did they ask about why you hate wearing those gowns?”

“Mhmm.”

Dib stopped moving back, “Wait how’d you know?”

“Well, considering she threatened to have the tailors make me a dress so heavy I couldn’t move, I’d say she has a pattern.”

Zib squinted at the king, “Was that… a joke? From you?”

“Yes! I had a gut feeling! Now, it is time for luncheon Dib. You wouldn’t want to keep Zim waiting would you?”

All three went to move, for the door, Dib long resigned to making a fool of himself in front of the Irken prince, before he stopped.

“Wait, are Gaz and Zib not coming?”

Membrane shook his head, expression infuriatingly inscrutable. 

“No, you need to spend more time with Zim one on one. You don’t have time for things like this, as amusing as it is. It is part of your duty in fulfilling the treaty, Irk is a valuable ally.”

“But why can’t they come?”

“They have their own things to attend to. I know that you all are close, but you need to focus on your duties as a future king. Well, there's no time to delay! Tardiness is not dignified son.”

Gaz knew this was a fight that Dib wasn't going to win. None of his arguments with the king went any other way really. 

“Yes father.”

Dib followed after their retreating father, looking back ruefully before the two left the room, leaving only Zib and the oppressive silence. The previous jovial mood soured. 

“Do you want some help getting the dress off?” 

“I’d appreciate that. Besides, I should be getting to my studies soon. I’m close to completing a major… project of mine. I don’t want to waste my progress.” 

“Ok… just don’t stay up all night. You and Dib are awful at keeping track of time.”

A humorless laugh, and an empty smile was all she got in return. Soon he too exited her room, dress in arm to take to the tailor. At least he had that. 

Sometimes Dib and Zib didn’t know when to shut up for sure, but it was better than the silence of being alone.

**Author's Note:**

> A fun little sibling bonding moment. Gaz is the only competent person in this au I stg, everyone else is a disaster. If I'm honest, this was probably one of the last few times these three really spoke to each other, at least on an honest level. Sorry I'm incapable of making anything happy. Well, that's that! Now, how's Gaz holding up in current times... :)  
> Oh! And before I forget, a little exchange.  
> Dib: *walks into the dining hall wearing a dress  
> Zim: Oh wow you look pretty  
> Dib: What?  
> Zim: I SAID YOU LOOK SHITTY  
> Membrane: Ah young love.


End file.
